SKF opens new railway bearing factory in Russia
SKF today inaugurated its factory in Russia, situated in Tver. The factory will produce the new generation of SKF’s sealed and pre-lubricated compact tapered bearing units (CTBU), for the Russian and international railway customers. The CTBUs are used in freight cars and other railway vehicles.
The investment will further strengthen SKF's position as a supplier to the Russian Railways, and provide the local market with high quality solutions for its rapidly expanding railway infrastructure.
The application of SKF CTBUs represents a technology shift by the Russian Railways, from classical axlebox mounted wheel set roller bearings to state-of-the-art sealed tapered roller bearing units.
-This technology shift enables our customers to significantly lower life cycle costs through longer maintenance intervals, says Anatolij Oussov, Managing Director, SKF Russia.
The factory will be one of the first in Russia and in Europe with LEED certification, an internationally recognized standard for environmentally sustainable design, construction and operation of buildings.
The environmental benefits of the facility include natural daylight for 90% of the facility during daytime, demand controlled ventilation in major areas with CO2 monitoring. The building also uses 40% less energy than normal constructions and has an innovative vacuum distillation process that recycles 100% of water used in the phosphating process.
-This factory is one of the most modern in the world for railway bearings and it shows commitment to our BeyondZero® strategy, to pursue and develop our business with minimal impact on the environment. Furthermore, with this investment we will both support our growth in Russia and strengthen our position within the global railway market, says Tom Johnstone, SKF President and CEO.
The investment amounts to approximately SEK 235 million and the factory will employ 100 people. When reaching full capacity, the factory will produce 150 000 bearing units per year.
On 7 July SKF also opened an SKF Solution Factory in Moscow. This Solution Factory, the twelfth worldwide, provides customized solutions to a variety of industries, including the railway segment.
Gothenburg, 8 July 2010
Aktiebolaget SKF
(publ)
AB SKF may be required to disclose the information provided herein according to the Securities Markets Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication at 11.00 am CEST on 8 July.
For further information, please contact:
PRESS: Ingalill Östman, SKF Group Communication, tel: +46 31-337 3260, mobile: +46 706-973260, e-mail: ingalill.ostman@skf.com
IR: Marita Björk, SKF Investor Relations, tel: +46 31-337 1994, mobile: +46 705-181994, e-mail: marita.bjork@skf.com
SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems and services which include technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has 15,000 distributor locations worldwide. Annual sales in 2009 were SEK 56,227 million and the number of employees was 41,172. www.skf.com
Aktiebolaget SKF, 415 50 Göteborg, tel: 031 337 1000, fax 031 337 1722, www.skf.com
